


Such Beautiful Eyes

by mimzy630



Category: AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Resolution Route, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21929311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimzy630/pseuds/mimzy630
Summary: AU - Date struggles with finding his soulmate when he can't trust his eyes.
Relationships: Date Kaname/Sagan Hitomi, Okiura Renju/Pewter | Amanoma Futa, Sagan Iris/Doi Amame
Kudos: 46





	1. Such Beautiful Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shevi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shevi/gifts).



> A trade for Shevi ^^~ The bonus chapter is just more content I felt wouldn't fit in the main Datomi plot.

“Wow, heterochromia? At 30? Isn’t that kind of pathetic?”

Two smug grey eyes glared at him from the orange recliner to his right, goading him with the equally devilish smile attached to his roommate’s, Mizuki Okiura’s, face. Her pulled back blue hair gave her a fitting punk look, but he had learned better than to retaliate. The first time Mizuki had goaded him, he shot back asking why  _ she _ wasn’t in a relationship with  _ her _ soulmate. After all, her eyes are both grey- meaning she must have already had her soulmate-colored eye reverted to its normal color. Unfortunately for him, all he got in response was a sarcastic lesson from an 11-year-old,

“Wow, did you forget that the eyes don’t change until you’re 18? Geez, you’re aging faster than I thought.”

A year later, their dynamic hasn't changed, except that Date grew ever more annoyed that he couldn’t correct her. Of course, even if he tried to explain that his heterochromia was not, in fact, because he hadn’t found his soul mate, but because his left eye was really an AI named Aiba, he doubted she would him. He  _ had _ told her some... half-truths in the years he’d known her, half because she knew he would correct him and half just to enjoy the days when she trusted him enough to wash her bellybutton at a chozuya. Even though Aiba told him it was cruel to lie to her, it was a precious memory of his little daughter before she grew into snarky young woman peeking at him from above the chair back today.

Still, Mizuki had a point, even if she didn’t know it yet. Since Date had been monocular for as long as he could remember, he didn’t know if he had found his soulmate before he lost his memories or not. Even though Boss claimed to know him, she would never answer the question directly; she would always make some dirty joke to distract him, and he always dropped the topic before he could incur his superior’s wrath.

The robotic voice of a young woman rang inside his head,  _ “We are in the same in that regard. As an AI, I do not believe in the soul, so naturally, I do not have a ‘soulmate’ either.” _

__ That was Aiba, chiming in after he accidentally let some of his thoughts come to the forefront of his consciousness that she has access to. This was the sort of thing that made up the bulk of her commentary- useless quips that range between charming and tone-deaf. She was still an invaluable partner when investigating, but at times like these he just wanted her to stay out of his head.

“Geez, can’t you loosen up a little?” Date noticed his mistake right as the words came out of his mouth, and sure enough, the grey eyes went from conceited to fake-scared,

“Wow Date, you’re asking a 12-year-old to loosen up? Perverted old man...”

The reflection in his warm cup of coffee frowned. He was going to take the day off today since no huge cases had come up, but it seemed like home life was going to be more hectic than the office. Chugging the rest, he threw on his heavy coat and walked towards the door, responding to the jab with his usual amount of tact,

“I was going to stay home and entertain you, but if you’re going to be like this, I'd rather go to work. Be seeing you.”

“I don’t need entertai-” the angry voice from his apartment was cut off by the loud slam of the door. He slipped into his and sped to work, trying not to look at all the couples holding hands while walking down the sidewalks of Tokyo.

Arriving at the cold underground chambers of ABIS was somewhat a relief, but by the time he got to his usual fold-out chair in Boss’s office, his mind was still occupied with his ever-present worries about love. He must have let that inner scowl creep onto his face, because the playful, yet assertive voice from his superior startled him from his stupor,

“Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but you can’t escape your parenting by coming here.”

Date was a little surprised to be read that easily, but gave in to Boss’s all-understanding eyes, “that obvious, huh? Also- don’t call it that, she’s just my roommate. Renju is still her father, and still does all the official stuff.”

Boss shook her head and sighed, “sure, sure. I don’t have any work for you right now- it’s been a slow October. So... Why don’t we chat? What’s on your mind?”

Though it was obvious she had ulterior motives, since he was here anyway, Date figured he’d try to get a clear answer out of her,

“Boss, I want you to tell it to me straight- did I or did I not meet my soulmate before I lost my eye?”

He was half-expecting Boss to say  _ well, Aiba wasn’t designed to be green _ in her know-it-all voice, but apparently today was the other routine,

“Finally falling for me? Don’t worry, the left one’s just a colored contac-”

She was doing the same old dirty jokes she always did, but the Psyncer was sick of it. He stood up to meet Boss’s eye-level and cut her off angrily,

“You do this every time- I’m sick of it. You say you knew me before, but you don’t have any pictures? It’s not like you  _ forgot _ . Why can’t you just tell me?”

Boss gave him a sharp look, tapping her heels against the side of her desk impatiently. Date shrunk back into his chair, his attempts at intimidation not worth getting written up for insubordination. He was about to open his mouth to tell Boss not to worry, but to his surprise the woman stood up to get closer to him, her hand pulling up his chin to force eye-contact. Boss’s two rich, brown eyes were full of something he almost thought was melancholy, but the traces of worry disappeared as she started sternly,

“Do you really want to know? You won’t know if I’m lying, and you might not like the answer.”

Though her title suggested otherwise, this level of seriousness took Date by surprise. He was expecting to never know the answer, but it seemed Boss was tiring of the charade, too. He stared back into her eyes forcefully as he responded,

“I’m tired of being in the dark. I’m tired of the secrecy. And... I’m tired of not knowing how to respond to a 12-year-old.”

Boss gave a chuckle, but averted her eyes, ‘giving up’ the staredown she started. She moved back towards her desk and crossed her legs, thinking for a moment before responding,

“Well, I can only help with two of those; pre-teens are beyond my power. I can, however, tell you that you did meet your soulmate before you lost your memory.”

Date nearly leapt out of his chair, with Aiba’s warning “ _ calm down, Kaname Date!” _ keeping him from leaping at Boss as if to drag the secrets out of her himself. He took a deep breath, then squeaked out a sentence, vocal cords straining in anticipation,

“Do you know who they were? Can I meet-”

“Sorry, I don’t know her.” She responded, coldly and quickly, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Aiba was quiet for a moment, but chimed in,

_ “That was very suspicious. How could she know your soulmate’s gender if she didn’t know your soulmate?” _

Date nodded internally, blinking a bit at his quiet superior,

_ “Aiba, activate thermograph.” _

_ “At once.” _

The mechanical voice quieted, but his eye spun to life, the projection of a red-hot Boss filling his vision. Date gritted his teeth angrily,

_ “So she is lying to me... Damnit, Boss!” _

_ “Date, stop. Getting angry at the Boss will not achieve anything. We can investigate later.” _ Aiba, again playing the voice of reason, managed to stop Date’s rage for the time being. He shook his head, grabbing his coat as he prepared to storm out of yet another room. Boss called to him as he left,

“They say November is the month of love. Maybe you’ll have some luck?” She was trying to be coy again, but Date was in no mood for in right now. He opened the door, but stopped before going out, staring vacantly at the hallway as he grumbled out the words, “Nobody says that.”

Date paused as Aiba pleaded with him not to continue, but he looked back for a split second as the pit in his stomach swallowed up the rest of what little patience he had,

“And I especially don’t want to hear that from you.”

“Date, I-”

The man was in no mood to hear her out, so he just got in his car and drove around under the overcast sky until he got the most important call of his life: Boss, urging him to come to Bloom Park to check out a crime scene.

\------

On the second day of investigation into the New Cyclops Serial Killer, Date found himself visiting the Sagan Residence to return Iris home. Just his luck, Iris said she had to take a phone call before going in, leaving Date to knock on a stranger’s door with little to show for it. The door quickly opened, and he had to catch his breath for a moment when he saw the woman inside. His brain churned, desperately trying to recall some locked-away memory as his heart beat faster, giving as much blood to his mind as possible. He stood there stunned for a few seconds before he finally found the words to introduce myself.

“I’m Kaname Date, with the MPD.” He managed to pull out his badge, but had to turn it around when he noticed it was upside-down. His mind was still on fire, but a moment of clarity calmed his shaky arm: his dream. He had seen this woman in his dream the night before, lying on the floor with blood oozing out of her shoulder. His eyes quickly make their way to the wound, and to his surprise, he saw nothing- merely an arm dangling lifelessly to her side. 

_ “Date, you can’t just say that- you’ll worry her.”  _ Aiba was right, as always. He took a moment to mentally readjust before continuing as the impact of his statement began to show itself as worry on her calming face,

“You’re not in trouble, ma’am. I came to return your daughter after... Well, I ended up picking her up, so I figured I would drive her home. She’s taking a call right now.”

The woman seemed a bit relieved, yet confused. Still, she opened the door wider and smiled, her pink eyeliner creasing in her subtle laugh-lines,

“Oh! Well, come on in, Mr. Date. I’m Hitomi Sagan, I teach at the local elementary school- I’ll make some tea.”

A few steps into the house were all it took to assault him with the same deja vu- this was the same place he had escaped from while waiting for Mizuki to wake up. He took a seat on the bench. Though the house was suspicious, his eyes were always drawn back to Hitomi, watching her movements as she deftly boiled some tea water with one arm. She must have caught him staring- or perhaps the heat of the pot brought a bit of blush to her cheeks. To his disappointment, her two chocolate eyes were unmistakably the same color- but what caught his green eye was the drawing on the back wall. It depicted three people, though brown and yellow had been scribbled on haphazardly. What really intrigued him were the eyes of the two tall figures- likely Hitomi and Iris’s father. Hitomi’s eye was mostly brown, but with a grey outline, as if the artist was not used to her new eye color- perhaps it depicted Hitomi recently after she met her soulmate? With this in mind, he thanked Hitomi as she brought over three cups, using a small tray to carry them all at once.

“I see the drawing caught your eyes- Iris drew that of me and my soulmate long ago... It’s so sweet that I can’t bear to part with it, even now.” Hitomi’s voice was solemn, yet strong- not forceful in the way Boss’s was, but still full of energy. Fitting for a teacher, he thought- nurturing, not passive.

“What do you mean by ‘even now,’ if you don’t mind elaborating?”

Date’s remark caused Hitomi to clutch her arm and look at the floor dejectedly, but she continued despite that,

“Oh, don’t worry, it was long ago. My soulmate was... Caught up in something. I’m afraid he’s no longer here...”

The special agent was no good in situations like this- he was grateful to be on a special team so that he could avoid informing the families of the tragedies that often came through MPD doors. Still, he gave an effort to stammer out his condolences at Aiba’s angry insistence,

“I-I’m sorry for your loss...” he looked down at the floor uselessly, his mind having spent itself trying to remember his dream and now functioning on lower power. However, Hitomi’s soft voice snapped him out of his stupor,

“Oh, he’s not... Dead. He’s just... Lost somewhere.” The ambiguity of her words made Date think she was hiding something, but he decided not to press the issue. Before he could respond, an annoyed, dejected look stole the radiance from her smile,

“Heh... I thought that knowing your soulmate would make things easier, but... It doesn’t tell you how to hang on.”

Date was left speechless; her words were so full of emotion and sadness that, for a moment, he wondered if he was allowed to hear them. That emotion washed over his worries though, and he found himself caught up in his own doubts, telling her things as almost a reflexive reaction to her honesty,

“Honestly? This eye is a fake” he tapped Aiba- who was muttering something about how she  _ wasn’t fake, unless you take into account that reality is likely fake, in which case- _ before continuing, “but I lost my memory years ago, so I’ll never remember who my soulmate was. It hurts, but what hurts more is knowing I missed my one chance.”

The sad mood stewed for a bit before Hitomi motioned for some tea. Date bent down and brought the small cup to his lips, the warm liquid cleansing his mind and body. With a refreshed sigh, he tried at the conversation again, determined to bring a smile back to her face,

“What color were their eyes?” His voice was smooth and relaxed this time- natural, almost.

“His eyes were a beautiful grey; though his face was sharp, it only took one glance to see the love in them. I used to call them the ‘silver lining’ of his face.” Her expression had warmed as well, eyes staring off into the past.

The quiet reverie was ended by Iris running through the door. She said her apologies for being late as Hitomi apologized for being so informal. Date figured it was best to leave now that his duties were fulfilled just as a cold awkwardness settled over the three teacups. He slipped out the door to continue his investigation, unaware of what lay ahead.

\------

Date struggled fruitlessly to escape the restraints on the subject’s chair. The rain pelted him from the broken ceiling above, lighting illuminating the shattered glass scattered around the floor of the abandoned factory. His brain was being assaulted with memories he shouldn’t have known- about this factory, about Psyncing, and about his captor, ‘#89’- though it would be more accurate to call him Saito Sejima. A whirlpool of thoughts made his mind spiral, but a far-off rumble of thunder brought him clarity. His captor’s body was his own, and his body was his captor’s. The realization, though so outlandish, seemed natural to him. The sound of footsteps stilled his mind with fear as the black-haired convict bent down to stare at him eye-to-eye. In that moment, lightning flashed, and he saw his own silver eyes staring back at him, their bright lining twisted into jagged streaks.

_ Silver lining...? _

A memory took over his senses- the rain quieted, and he thought he could hear a familiar voice singing to a sleepy girl,

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

you make me happy, so do grey clouds,

I hope I show dear, how much I love you,”

A deeper voice now- the lips of the man in front of him-  _ his _ lips- seemed to match the memory, even though he knew it wasn’t possible,

“They won’t take our sunshine away.”


	2. Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesbian and gay soulmates tell their stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a bonus, not to distract from the Datomi, but still just as important. Technically takes place during the first part of the fic.

While Date was driving back from Bloom Park with Iris, he figured he would ask her a few questions. She was much quieter now- it seemed that she had dropped her idol act in favor of a more solemn, still excitable personality. For some reason he couldn’t place, it made Date a bit sad to see her arm trailing aimlessly out the window, so he scolded her so she would bring it inside. Left with nothing else to entertain her, he tried to start a conversation,

“So how old are you?”

Iris flashed a mischievous look, “what, are you trying to see if I’m your type?”

Date shook his head, annoyed at the banter- it was like Mizuki’s, but so much softer, “nah, I just wanted to know a bit more about the person blackmailing me.”

Iris chuckled- a genuine sound that warmed Date’s heart. Perhaps Psyncing really was getting to him... He heard that it could emotionally compromise the Psyncer, but something deep inside rejected that idea. This felt less like a flaw and more like... Normalcy. Having two deep blue irises next to him

“I turned 18 this year.” Her voice was quiet, as if the words had some hidden weight- Date decided not to press. However, Mizuki’s harsh lesson echoed in his mind, and he gasped when he realized,

“So you’ve met your soulmate!?”

She had idly started twirling her pink hair, but stopped when he heard the question. It wasn’t a rare question, so she must have had a prepared answer- but she looked Date in the eye beforehand. He swore he could see some unknown emotion churning deep inside, but he wasn’t sure what it was. It soon disappeared, and her face softened. She began to speak, her voice in a sing-song tune somewhere between joking and serious,

“Hehe, I guess it’s only fair that I tell you. Officially, I’m wearing a contact- most idols are encouraged to pretend they haven’t met their soulmate to attract wistful fans. But... To be honest, I met her on my birthday- it was kind of funny! One of my eyes changed to red while lighting the candles on my cake, but had changed back as soon as I blew them out. It turns out that I invited to her my birthday; she was my coworker back at Sunfish Pocket. Of course, it would be a scandal if the public knew, but... For some reason, the President seems like he wants me to reveal. I wonder why?”

Date thought he might know the answer to that. Iris’s words stirred something from deep within his memory, locked away behind three glasses of rum.

“Why did you marry Shoko anyway?” Date swirled the bitter liquid in his glass as he glanced over at his best friend. The blonde-haired man sighed, staring into his own glass of liquid fire. He took a swig, grimaced, then tried to respond,

“A man like you wouldn’t understand.”

If Date was in a proper state of mind, he likely wouldn’t have given the phrase any thought. But, right now his liquor-stained mind could only hear an insult, so he growled in response, standing up to tower over the businessman,

“What does  _ that _ mean?”

Mama whispered  _ not so loud _ , but it was too late- the challenge had already gone out. Renju downed the rest of his glass before loudly slamming it on the table, his two brown eyes also turned fierce by the beverage,

“I mean that you live freely- you walk around, offending anyone you want with the power of the badge keeping you safe. You’re a loose canon beholden only to yourself- you wouldn’t understand what it means to keep up appearances.” Renju spat out the last words as he moved to rub the gold watch hidden below his suit.

Despite the outward anger, seeing Renju touch his watch gave Date pause. He still had a primal reaction to seeing it, perhaps because of the altercation that started when a far less lucid Date had spilled some brandy right on the face. Though Date had few memories of the incident, it still lingered in his mind whenever he saw the shimmer on Renju’s wrist. Pacified, he sat back down and began to use his straw to push a single ice cube around the cup.

Date began quietly, “appearances? For your business?”

Renju sighed deeply, staring at the strange painting in the corner of Marble. His eyes seemed to trace the arrows burying themselves into the man as he continued,

“Yes, revealing that I had not met my soulmate was not a possibility if I wanted to start a business. Shoko had met a brick wall in her own career for the same reason, so we decided to fake it. But... I guess we should have listened to the stories. It was doomed to fail from the start.”

Date’s mind was murky, but luckily Aiba was always alert. She scanned Renju quickly, then reported her findings,

_ “Date, I do not think he is wearing contacts. Perhaps he met his soulmate?” _

Date mumbled  _ shut up _ , but he was intrigued by the information. He decided to give Renju a few more moments in the quiet before continuing, 

“So... Did you ever meet them?”

Renju’s hand tightened, and Date thought he could see some sadness in his eyes. Mama called out,  _ cheer up, honey _ , which seemed to bring some light back to Renju’s face. Just enough to respond,

“I did. Perhaps... Sometime in the far future I can introduce you.”

Date’s lack of social graces made him open his curious mouth, “why not now?”

Mama stepped in to break up the two friends, her voice full of concern and a bit of disdain at Date’s lack of manners, “Date, you really shouldn’t ask that-”

Renju cut her off with a quiet  _ it’s okay _ before sliding some money on the table. He gave one last statement as he walked towards the door, “I- no, all of us- have much to change before I can do that.”

Date was left confused in Marble, but Mama reassured him that she would explain later.

“Hey, you’re going to miss my exit!”   


Iris’s panicked voice returned Date to his reality in the car, and he made a quick left to turn out of the highway.


End file.
